Mechanism for interconnecting gun accessories with the muzzle end portion of gun barrels



E. M. SCHACHT 2,696,995

MECHANISM FOR INTERCONNECTING GUN ACCESSORIES WITH THE MUZZLE END PORTION OF GUN BARRELS Filed Sept. 17, 1951 IN V EN TOR.

w BWZM 'IIIII United States Patent IVIECHANISM FOR INTERCONNECTING GUN AC- CESSORIES WITH THE MUZZLE END PORTION OFGUN BARRELS Ewald M. Schacht, Waseca, Minn., assignor to Herters, Inc., Waseca, Minm, a corporation of Minnesota Application September 17, 1951, Serial No. 246,982

1 Claim. (Cl. 285-445) This invention relates to an interconnection mechanism particularly adapted for attaching devices such as choke regulators and anti-recoil devices to gun barrels.

In the past. it has been a problem for gunsmiths to attach anti-recoil devices and choke regulating devices to gun barrels without weakening the barrel, and in most cases threads have had to be machined into the muzzle end portion of the gun barrel and the attachment device merely threadably connected thereto.

It is an object ofmy invention to provide an interconnection mechanism adapted to permit a choke regulator and an anti-recoil device to be quickly attached to the muzzle end of a shot-gun barrel without cutting any threads into the gun barrel and without materially weakening the gun barrel.

More specifically, it is an object to provide an externally threaded split sleeve member adapted to be received in a transversely disposed grooved portion of the muzzle end of a gun barrel to permit attachment of a choke regulator and anti-recoil device to said gun barrel, said sleeve securely retaining the choke regulator and anti-recoil device onto the barrel by interlocking with the grooved portion of the barrel.

It is still a further object to provide a split sleeve member adapted to be mounted in a transversely disposed grooved portion of the end of a gun barrel, and being externally threaded to permit a choke regulator and an anti-recoil device to be threadably connected therewith, and said sleeve being adapted to be easily anchored against rotation on said gun barrel to permit easy and quick interconnection of the attachment device to the muzzle end of the barrel.

These and other objects and advantages will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the muzzle portion of a gun barrel having a variable choke connected therewith structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded side elevational view of the parts shown in assembled positions in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of the invention.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawing, there is shown a conventional shot gun barrel 8 with a choke regulating and anti-recoil device such as the device disclosed in my co-pending application. S. N. 188,307 and filed October 4, 1950, and designated herein as an entirety by the numeral 9. The device 9 has a tube 10 which is provided with an apertured plug 11 at the outer end thereof, and is adapted to threadably receive at the opposite end from plug 11 a variable choke member 12 having the longitudinally formed tapered choke segments 12a. The rear portion of the choke member 12 is tubular in shape and is internally threaded and has a shoulder 12b formed in an intermediate portion thereof. The inside diameter of the threaded portion is of sufficient size to receive the muzzle end of the barrel 8 therein and the inside of member 12 adiacent shoulder 12b and extending forwardly therefrom is of substantially equal Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional view of the till diameter to the outside diameter of the barrel 8. The inside of tube 10 has a frusto-conical internal portion 13 adapted to engage the externally tapered forward portions of the choke segments 12a. The tube 10 has an enlarged diameter adjacent the frusto-conical portion 13 and extending outwardly therefrom to the plug 11. The port1on thus enlarged has a number of vent openings 14 formed therein.

ln form A of my invention specifically illustrated in F1gs. 1, 2, and 3, the muzzle end portion of the gun barrel 8 is grooved to form a pair of spaced transversely disposed peripheral grooves 15 and 16 therein. These two grooves, in form A of my invention, are separated by a collar 17. and a collar of similar diameter 18 is formed at the muzzle end of the barrel 8. It should be noted, as best shown in Fig. '2, that these two collars 17 and 18, in form A of my invention, are of somewhat smaller diameter than the outside diameter of the gun barrel 8 to permit a standard size externally threaded split sleeve 19 to be used on all guns. The inside of the outer end portion of sleeve member 19 is grooved to receive the collar or ring 18, and the medial portion thereof is also grooved to receive the collar 17 therein to respectively form a pair of spaced peripheral grooves 19a and 19b around the inside of said collar 19. The spacing between the two grooves is, of course, similar to the spacing between the two collars 17 and 18 and the sleeve 19 being made from steel which is' closely machined to be tightly received on the end portion of the gun barrel, as shown in Fig. 2, is sufliciently resilient to permit the same to be slipped over said end by expanding said sleeve which will subsequently spring back into retracted barrel embracing position.

It has been found desirable, solely for the purpose of preventing rotation of split sleeve 19 on the barrel 8 to apply a small amount of solder to the grooves 15 and 16, as indicated at 20 of Fig. 1. It has been found unnecessary to tin both grooves as illustrated since applying solder to only one groove will securely hold the sleeve 19 against rotation. The external threads of the sleeve 19 are, of course, similar to the internal threads of the rear portion of choke member 12, and after said sleeve has been securely anchored to the gun barrel. said choke member may be threaded thereon and securely tightened thereto until the shoulder 12 tightly abuts the end extremity of the gun barrel 8 and the inside diameter of the choke member adjacent said shoulder 12h forms a smooth continuation of the inside bore of said barrel 8. The remaining parts of the variable choke regulator and anti-recoil device 9 operate in cooperation in the same manner as that described in my copending application identified previously herein.

An alternative form B of my attachment mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 6 in which only a single relatively wide groove 21 is formed at the end portion of barrel 8 with a single retaining collar 22 formed adjacent the muzzle end of said barrel. An externally threaded split sleeve member 23 is adapted to be inserted into said groove 21 by being expanded in a manner similar to that described for split sleeve 19, and said sleeve 23 has a smooth inside surface. The sleeve 23 is held against rotation in groove 21 by tinning the same to the barrel in a manner similar to that described for sleeve 19, and illustrated at 20 of Fig. 1, and the choke member 12 is threadably attached in the same manner as previously described for sleeve 19.

It will be seen that I have provided an extremely simple yet highly efficient attachment means for interconnecting a gun accessory such as the variable choke regulator and anti-recoil device illustrated herein, to the muzzle end of a gun barrel. This interconnection mechanism consists in a split sleeve having external threads formed thereon and adapted to be received in a grooved end portion formed at the muzzle end of a gun barrel in slightly spaced relation to the muzzle end extremity of said barrel to form at least one retaining collar or ring adjacent said end extremity. Both forms of my invention provide an extremely easily operated attachment mechanism which securely holds the gun accessory on to the end portion of the barrel 8 without materially weakening the end portion of the gun barrel 8"as would be the case if the threads were cut--directly into theexterior peripheral 1 surface of the gun barrel. I have found by experimentation that my split sleeve connection mechanism produces a substantiallystronger: construction. thanswould be. produced it the -rthreads-.were cut. i directly into the externalsurface Of -thevgun-barreI;

In form Aeof .my invention, two retainingcollars or rings,- areformed which; interlock withthe interior grooves.

portions of the .-parts..-without; departing from the scope of. my; invention.=

What I claim-isa An: interconnection means for .securely interconnecting agun accessory witlrthe muzzle .endof-a gun barrel, said means comprising a circumferential recess in.the exterior surface. of the gunbarrel in close gproximity=to the muzzle endthereof tandhavingasub'stantial length with abut-z ment shoulders at the ends-offthe recess, theportion. of: the exterior. surface of the barrel betweenethemuzzle end and tth e adjacentshoulder-forming a collar around the barrel, said collar-having an outside diameter less than theover-alldiameter of the gunbarrel; a split sleeve having a total lengthrapp roximating-that of*the recess andadapted to beziconfined in said'recess withaan end abutting a shoulder, the sleeve being externally screw threaded, the V depth 1 of the" recess i being approximately equal to the thickness of the sleeve whereby the sleeve fills the recess, an outer tubular connection member having the gun accessory fixed thereto and having at least the rear end portion thereof. only slightly larger in over-all diameter than the outsidediam'eter of the muzzle end of. the. gun. barrel. and having an inside diameter to receive.saidsleeveandv-said end-of the. gun barrel, said rear portion being internally screw threaded for threaded connection with the split sleeve to positively interconnect said tubular member and said gun barrel, a collar surroundingthegunbarrel inand between the shoulders of said recess, the last named collar also havingan outside diameterless than the over-alldiameter of the gun barrel, and said split sleeve having two internal grooves adapted to receive said collars.

References Cited in the file of thisv patent UNITED STATESPATENTS Number. Name Date 168,970fi Caswell- Oct. 19, 1875 296,394 Driscoll- Apr. 8, 1884 1,033,196. Roescl'rv July 23, 1912 1,284,1591 Sick-man Nov. 5, 1918 1,659,268 Hooley Feb. 14, 1928 1,759,909,: Locke; May 27, 1930 1,799,9 i1 Wulle. Apr. 7, 1931 2,484,988 Finlay Oct. 18, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 711,563: France June 30, 1931 

